Kim outlasts teammate Hippensteel

Kim's Stanford teammate, K.J. Hippensteel, had pushed his body to the limit over the last week, and he hardly was expected to put up a true fight against Kim, the hottest player in the NCAA singles field, in their semifinal match Saturday.

But as he has done over the last six weeks since returning from a ruptured spleen, Hippensteel proved everyone wrong again. His effort wasn't enough to win, but his 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-2 loss opened plenty of eyes and showed that maybe, just maybe, Kim isn't unbeatable.

''What a great effort by K.J., I don't know how he does it,'' Kim said. ''Coming back from his spleen injury, coming into Athens and playing a lot of tennis in the team tournament, grinding out a lot of matches, and then having to go three sets in almost every match in this heat, and then being able to just battle the way he does, I feel very fortunate to be able to pull out this match today.''

It was the first time in seven matches in Athens that Kim didn't win in straight sets -- though he appeared on his way to doing that about an hour into his duel with Hippensteel. After Kim won the first set easily, Hippensteel was visibly exhausted. He had played three straight three-set matches, including two the day before, and often bent over to compose himself between points.

When Kim went up 5-2 in the second set, it seemed the Cardinal's No. 1 player was on his way to another blitz of a helpless opponent. But Kim let up a little and Hippensteel found some inspiration. Remembering his miraculous win Friday over Esteban Carril, in which he staved off three match points in a third-set tiebreaker, Hippensteel found something extra.

''When I was down 5-2, I think I realized from that match yesterday that it's never over till it's over,'' Hippensteel said, ''and I kept believing I could pull it out.''

Hippensteel began to claw back in, finding extra bursts of energy from somewhere, and he got hot. On one point at deuce, a Kim serve hit the net cord and trickled perhaps an inch or two across the net, bouncing meekly. But Hippensteel wouldn't let even that dubious ace go freely; he charged forward in an unsuccessful attempt to get a racket on the dribbler and ended up sprawled underneath the net.

His own hustle seemed to energize him, and Kim hung back. Kim had six match points over the course of the second set, but converted none of them. Hippensteel eventually forced a tiebreaker and dominated it, losing only one point, which came on a double fault.

But the comeback took too much out of Hippensteel. He looked drained as he struggled through the opening games of the third set, and Kim roared to a 4-0 lead.

''In the third set, I started out a little sloppy in that first game, and I think that gave him the boost he needed to just get a little bounce in his legs and start going for shots,'' Hippensteel said. ''When he started going for shots, there was no way I could compete with him.''

Kim recognized that as well, and his game picked up noticeably in the third.

''I thought I kind of let up just a little bit -- not much, but just enough for him to start dictating a little more than I wanted,'' Kim said. ''In the third, I wanted to hit the ball a little harder, a little more aggressively, and try to move him a little more.''

Kim did that, reverting to the style that has rendered every opponent he has faced in Athens helpless, and Hippensteel didn't have an answer. Match point was brief, punctuated by a forehand winner down the line from Kim, but the crowd at Henry Feild Stadium gave a standing ovation to both players for their efforts.

Hippensteel's injury-shortened season ends with a singles record of 20-7, the last six of those wins coming in Athens. He would have liked to be in competition on the final day, but Kim's list of victims this week is star-studded, and Hippensteel isn't particularly upset about being on it.

Plus, Kim is Hippensteel's big brother in their fraternity at Stanford, so compliments are always wise.

''There's no shame at all in losing to him,'' Hippensteel said.

On the other hand, despite his steady effort throughout the team and singles championships -- not to mention his 47-7 record this year -- Kim is amazed that he is in position to win the national championship.

''It's unbelievable,'' he said. ''I never thought, coming down to Athens, that I would be here. It's not something you really think about, and just to have the opportunity to win such a great tournament, it's really great.''